Upon our return to San Francisco from Las Vegas we needed a few groceries. I walked up to Trader Joes our favorite purveyor of groceries in the neighborhood to get something for dinner. As I checked out the chatty checker asked, “Did you find everything you needed?” My response was “Yes and more!” The checker cheerily said, “Yep that’s what makes America work. We don’t know we need it until we see it.”
Immediately that comment took me back to our four days in Las Vegas. That city is full of things we don’t need but Americans as well as international travelers see and buy, buy, buy. Actually, when we gamble most of us have paid good money and get nothing for it except perhaps a few moments of giddy hope. The ads are now saying, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Now I know exactly what they mean. It’s our money that stays when we go home.
I had never been to Las Vegas before except as a stopover to get somewhere else. I won’t be returning. I thought Las Vegas was all about the gambling and giving every visitor to the city at least a chance to go home with some winnings. I was wrong. Instead it’s about high end shopping. Women’s clothes, purses, jewelry and much more are waiting for people to discover they can't live without one or more of those overpriced items. These shops are everywhere, one cannot escape them. Well, that is unless you are a hardened non-shopper like me.
Amongst the shops are a multitude of restaurants. If my memory serves me right one of the attractions use to be cheap food. There were cheap all-you-can-eat buffets attached to every casino. There are still a few buffets in evidence. The standard rate seems to be $44.99 per person. And what about drinks? We ate dinner in a mid-range restaurant at Caesar’s Palace where we were staying. The cheapest glass of wine was $25. That’s a 6 ounce glass not a bottle.
Upon our arrival we ate lunch at an Italian restaurant. That entailed waiting an hour for our pizza and upon inquiring we found that the waiter neglected to turn in the order. Twenty minutes later we were finally satisfying our hunger. Next our room wasn’t ready and we were rewarded with an upgrade to a nicer room for an additional $50 per day. Oh by the way, four days of cold showers with only brief moments of hot water were provided in that upgrade. Another day our lunch of a hot dog and a salad ran us over $28. Okay, okay, you probably get the picture, expensive place with not very good service.
Gambling, of course, is the big thing in Las Vegas. Not being a big gambler, because I don’t like to lose, I am pretty much a wimp. I don’t play Blackjack, roulette, craps, poker or any of those other high stake games. Penny and quarter machines are my speed. I have always been able to win enough to give me some fun until I lose everything I’m willing to put into the machines. This time there was essentially no winning. I would play a quarter and win but winning paid .20 cents. Even as a winner you lose. Enough of that. I assume there were some winners amongst us but I was not their witness.
Now I know, I am not abiding by the rule that Las Vegas is putting out there: What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Now I have a pretty good idea why they don’t want us telling on them.
The other side of the coin is that Las Vegas is “over the top.” It is an American extravagance. I love the desert, the climate and the open skies but it must have taken a miracle to plop this commercial phenomenon down in the middle of the desert and for it to survive and thrive even during difficult economic times. Everything is make-believe, fantasy, unreal. Perhaps that’s the trick.
Katherine the Great and I enjoyed a great dinner together to celebrate our 19th anniversary. Would you believe we were in Paris half way up the Eiffel Tower? Incredible views, a water ballet across the street, wonderful food and great service contributed to a special evening. I highly recommend experiencing the Las Vegas Eiffel Tower.
A visit to Las Vegas is a mind-boggling experience in many ways. I still haven’t shared most of what happens in Las Vegas so I should be safe.
Stan the Man
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